We are a month old!!

Wow, does time fly! The boys are 4 weeks and 2 days old!! Today is actually their official due date, and as big as they are now I am sure glad they are already here. I will post pics first, since I know that is what most people want to see. Just to warn you, the following post will be a bit wordy- it has been an eventful past few weeks!

Lane

Cole

Cole

Lane and Cole

Lane

Cole

Lane

Lane-- I think!

Proud Daddy!

The babies

Cole and Lane- ready for bed. In momma's bed!

Lane and Cole

Where to start! Let's see, I guess the first place to start would be with how big these boys are- We went to weigh clinic last Monday at 3 weeks and 5 days. Cole was 9 pounds 12 oz and Lane was 8 pounds 10 oz, thus the reason I am glad they are here versus being pregnant with that much baby! Lane has recovered very well after his surgery. He never acted like it bothered him and his little incision scars are already fading. We did make an extra visit to the ER at about 4am one morning because it seemed that the hernias were returning but it turned out to be just epididymitis (inflammation in the tubes). So other than a sleepless night and an ER copay, it was no big deal. So I believe all my boys now have their parts and pieces where they are supposed to be and hopefully we won't have to do this again. Of the three of them, Cole is the only one who didn't need help to get things in the right place.

These have become common occurrences around our house:

• Jace telling the boys "baby, no crying" and giving them a little swat on the hand. Of course, this is followed by a reminder to Jace that we don't hit our brothers.
• Geysers of pee. Both boys are big fans of letting loose as soon as they get naked. This has meant almost peeing on another baby at weigh clinic, streams 2 feet straight up in the air (Jace thinks this is hilarious), and several soaked friends and family members. I must say that Cole has been known to let loose from the other end too. We have all learned to take extra precautions and not look away for a second, for fear of one mess or another.
• The sleep feed. Not only can the babies sleep through a feeding, but I think my mom, Stuart and I have all been caught sleeping during a bottle feeding. Twice the babies equals twice the sleepiness!
• The double feed. My mom and I have both gotten very successful at feeding both babies at one time. I am able to nurse both on my gigantic nursing pillow and still have my hands free to be on the computer, write lists or play with Jace. My mom is wicked with a bottle in each hand, and can still entertain Jace.
• Musical beds. We have had both babies with me, both with my mom, Stuart with one and me with another, mom with one and one with me, Jace and all the babies in my bed, Stuart in bed with Jace and me with the babies, just about every combination imaginable, and the night never ends like it started. The only guarantee is that at some point at least one baby is asleep in a bed and not in their cribs. I will admit that I was NOT going to be that mom, the one that let the kids in the bed..... but the need for sleep and sanity can change one's mind quickly.
• Gassy boys. These are the tooting-est boys I know. They get that from their dad!
• The swing-shot. That's right a swing-shot, not a sling-shot. This is what I think of when Jace stands in between the boys' swings and gives them a big push. Again, poor Jace is frequently getting reminded that we do not try to launch our brothers out of their swings. Thus far, this has not actually happened.
• Doll eye syndrome. These little guys are already a tad, ok very, spoiled! Remember the dolls that have eyes that close when you lay them down, we have the opposite problem. If you lay down one of these boys after they are asleep their eyes pop open. They have turned us all in to suckers! They can be crying and as soon as they get picked up, it is as if someone hit the mute button. While it is so sweet to hold two sleeping babies, this bad habit must be stopped!
• The lost sock. I used to tease Stuart for walking around with one sock off and one on. Well, apparently, this is a family trait. Almost always can you find one boy with one sock off, if not both of them missing a sock.

Overall, Jace has still been very sweet to his brothers. He always gets them each a diaper out and will pile toys all around them.  He likes to sit by them and talk to them or read to them. He has pretty much abandoned his toys, other than Elmo. Elmo frequently gets strapped into a carseat and his diaper changed. Apparently it is much more fun to lay on the play mat with both boys than to play with a closet full of toys. He has gotten pretty good at shoving a paci into a crying mouth. He can be a bit bossy these days- calling daddy "Stuart", telling us to go night-night when he is in trouble, and getting onto the dogs. He has also been so independent. He does love to go play at Sassy and Tutu's house and they have been so good to keep him once a week. My sweet boy is getting so big!
Lane is quite the cuddler. He has several awake and alert periods throughout the day, but likes to be held whether awake or asleep. He is beginning to focus on things when awake and makes sweet smiles while asleep.
Cole's main priority in life is to eat, with sleep as a close runner up. He loves to nap on his tummy. He is also a snuggler, but he likes to scootch himself down until he gets into a comfortable place. He likes to swing more than his brother does. Both have really good head control, but Cole is a bit stronger than Lane.
It is funny how their personalities in utero have carried on into the big world. Lane was squished in utero with Cole on top of him. He was never as active as Cole. This is true now, as Lane is more content to lay still. He also loves to be swaddled tightly with snug boundaries. Cole, who would turn weekly somersaults in utero, is much more active and squirmy when awake. He does not like to have his arms swaddled down, but will wake himself up if they are not.
I am loving the muslin swaddle blankets, bath covers and paci animals we were given as gifts. These are baby must haves!
Stuart has been able to squeeze in baby time between a busy school and work schedule, as well as cleaning our garage!
I drove last week for the first time in 4 months!! It was not "like riding a bike". You might think it would be easy to jump back into it, but it took me a few days to feel comfortable driving. It was hard to concentrate on so many things moving in different directions, after living in a very low stimulating environment. I did not enjoy paying the new gas prices!!
Ok, this is starting to sound like a long Christmas letter- Sorry!
So many people followed our story and so many times I heard "it must be so hard to be in the hospital". Honestly, being in the hospital was easy, this is when the real work begins. However, I wouldn't trade it for anything, and have enjoyed every minute of this crazy life. We have been so grateful for the continued prayers, dinners, gifts, diapers, and well wishes. Thank you all!
Thank you to my wonderful husband for my beautiful necklace- I love you!

Lane

Cole

Cole and Lane

Lane and Cole

Cole

Lane

Big boy Jace

When parenting backfires...

So last night Jace was partaking in his new favorite hobby- jumping on the couch while momma tries to feed the babies. Stuart had already gotten onto him several times for this and had warned him he would get a spanking if he didn't stop. Sure enough, after the count of 3, Jace was still jumping and Stuart gave him a little spank, just enough to get his attention. Unfortunately for Jace, he had just gotten out of the bath and still had a bare hieny. He turned to his daddy, shocked, and said "ow daddy that hurt" and then chased him through the room saying "kiss it, kiss it now daddy". I must say the image of my crying 2 year old trying to get my hysterical husband to kiss his bare booty was quite comical!

Back again

Oh Covenant, how we've missed you! Actually, I really did miss my cran-apple juice cocktail, but would have rather passed it up to be at home right now. Last night, during a 3am diaper change, my wonderful man nurse hubby noticed little Lane's right testicle didn't feel right (they were undescended bilaterally since birth so we had been keeping an eye on them). This morning it had gotten worse with increased swelling. We decided to take him to the ER just to check it out. This was a totally different experience from when we took Jace to the ER 1.5 years ago. Back then, we rushed at a high rate of speed to the ER with a screaming child, making frantic calls to our pedi and urologist. I was the psycho mom who refused to let anyone touch him until they located our urologist. This time we calmly gathered our things, finished feeding the baby and stayed well within the speed limit. I am not sure if the difference was the calm baby, lack of sleep, or the benefit of being a seasoned parent who has been down this road before. Nevertheless, we ended up in the OR just as we had with Jace. Lane had an incarcerated right inguinal hernia and a small one on the left. Hopefully, this will be the only time the word incarcerated will be used to describe one of my children! Both hernias were repaired along with correcting the placement of his little boy parts. He was in surgery for 2 hours but with no complications. We are now in PICU overnight for monitoring but Lane has done so well. Just a few squeaks every now and then. He has been a real trooper! Jace is spending the night with Sassy and Tutu so he doesn't have to know we are at the hospital. I didn't want him to think we would be making a habit of this. My mom is at our house with Cole. God bless grandparents. Thank you again for all the prayers and thank you once again to all our Covenant friends for taking such good care of us. To Covenant Women's and Children's Hospital: we have enjoyed visiting almost all your floors, you have been good to us, but we would like to go home to stay now!

Lane after his IV

Poor baby

The "prison potty" in the room!

Almost 2 weeks!

It is so hard to believe that the boys will be 2 weeks old in 2 days! And what an amazing, exhausting, and wonderful 2 weeks it has been. I am proud to say that no one has asked me when my baby is due for the past few days. When we were going back and forth to NICU I got "when are you going to have that baby", "oh, you better hurry to the 4th floor" and "are you ready". I am not sure if things are shrinking or if I just haven't gone anywhere :) We spent last week trying to get adjusted to being home, as much for myself as for the boys and Jace. Jace has been so sweet to the babies. He loves to kiss on them and giggles everytime one of them squeaks. He has been a bit overprotective of them, including trying to yank Lane out of Grams' arms to give him back to momma. But overall he has been very loving to them. It has taken him a bit to get used to having me back at home, with increased use of the word "no", though that has improved drastically over the past 2 days. Stuart has to conveniently be absent at bed time to avoid the argument to sleep in "daddy's bed". He has developed quite a few new "Jace-isms" since I got admitted to the hospital. He loves to dance (especially to Beyonce's Single Ladies video- or "the girls" as he calls them). He has to take several favorite toys to bed each night- sometimes a stack of book, handfuls of cars, and his dancing monkey. I think he got his momma's OCD. He really enjoys lining up his toys and "cleaning" his car with a wipey.  The independence stage has started and Jace thinks he needs to dump his own potty, often close to dumping pee all over the floor! Thanks to his wonderful grandmas he now knows his colors, can count to ten and can identify about 75% of the alphabet. He is talking much more, and even sings or hums along to songs. I am just so glad to be back home with my sweet little boy!

As for these little boys.... they are doing really well also. It is funny how much their personalities reflect how they were in utero. Lane is very mellow and wants to be held all the time. He is happy to lay still and just study things. Cole, my little flip flopper in utero, is much more active and can turn himself bright red when he gets worked up. He has even rolled to his side so he could pop his brother in the face. Both are getting the hang of eating. Cole  is a nursing champ! Lane, being more laid back, has to be woken up to eat and needs a little more reminding about what he is doing. Twice I have even been able to nurse both of them at the same time using my mumbo jumbo feeding pillow! I felt quite accomplished with this feat. I have worked in NICU for over 7 years and have swaddled hundreds of babies, but my swaddling on these guys lasts about 5 minutes. Luckily, Stuart has become a swaddle master and the boys have been able to sleep like little burritos for up to 3 hours at night.

Today we went for a weight check and were glad both boys are gaining weight well. Lane has passed his birth weight and is now up to 7#4oz. He had been 7#1oz on Friday at the doctor's appointment. Cole is up from 7#9oz to 7#15oz. I still look at them in amazement, knowing that they were both crammed in my belly!! I don't know how they fit. With Lane closing in on Cole they are looking more and more similar. Lane has slightly more delicate features, sorry buddy I know it's not a manly term. Cole has the trademark hairy ears like Jace did and overall thicker hair. His cheeks are a bit fuller too. If all else fails, you can tell them apart by the fact that Lane has delayed descension of 2 certain anatomical parts. It also helps that we keep their little animal pacis by them and Lane is the monkey, Cole the puppy. In all my OCD-ness, we have also started color coordinating them when possible. Lane has been assigned blue and Cole green.

We got to stop by and visit our antepartum friends today after the weight check. It was so nice to get to see everyone. These babies wouldn't be here if not for all of them! Jace needed quite a bit of reassurance that momma didn't have to stay in momma's room. He was very uncertain, asking about "momma's room" before we even got to the hospital. When we did get there though, he marched straight to my old room and almost barged in.  I think he was relieved that I didn't have to stay there.

I am sorry to ramble! The past 2 weeks have gone by so quickly. We have been so blessed by friends and Stuart's parents bringing food. We are so grateful for my mom and her new full time job as bottle washer (among many, many other jobs around the house). My Grams left Saturday after being here 2 months to help with Jace. We couldn't have done it without her!!

Goodnight!! And thank you to everyone who has been following our journey!

Let the games begin....

(again, post started days ago on Monday, Feb. 21st)

Today we got to bring home Cole!!! His bilirubin levels were good and he is eating like a champ! Stuart and I took Lane to a weight check (he was up to 6# 13oz), and then went to get his brother. It was so exciting to walk out carrying our 2 amazing miracles!!!! Jace woke up from his nap to discover the baby population in our house had doubled! He couldn't stop smiling at "his" babies. Jace had been calling Lane "Lane-Cole" so  I think it finally made sense that there were 2 babies. It is so wonderful to have everyone at home. My respect for NICU parents has gone up drastically- it is hard to go back and forth and spread out your energy between children at home and a baby in NICU. But we were in the best of hands in NICU and are so blessed by the care we got. Thank you again to everyone in NICU for loving our boys so much! Please continue to pray for the boys' nicu neighbor, baby J, as he fights to get big and strong.

Going home after 100 days and 100 pounds.....

(post started 2/19/11 but added later due to sleeplessness)

Well almost! Let's just say that one was a definite and the other total was pretty close. Leaving the hospital today on Saturday, February the 19th marked 100 nights that I spent in the hospital. My first day back at home in so long brought about many "first time in 14 weeks", such as: sleeping in a flat bed without rails, standing to take a shower, and getting onto the floor. But the very best thing about being at home was one of our two little miracles got to come with us! Lane was able to be discharged from NICU, and though it was hard to leave little Cole there, we knew he was in good hands with our fabulous NICU nurse friends. Cole just needs to get the hang of eating and will need his bilirubin levels checked again over the next few days. Jace came up to meet Lane and ride home with us. He was ready for momma to come home. When we told him I would get to go home, he was practically dragging me out by the hand. He cried when I had to let go to sign my discharge papers and wouldn't let either Stuart or I out of his sight. However, he was so happy to meet Lane. He was such a proud big brother,strutting down the hall with daddy and Lane! On the way out we got to swing by antepartum to introduce Lane to our doctors and nurses. It was such a surreal experience, leaving one journey behind to begin a new one, though we will always treasure those who took such good care of us!

Great Friday

Both boys are on room air now and both were circumcised today.  Cole took his first bottle and Lane took a few naps in Momma's arms.